Zutter to expand leadership role in Integrative Diagnostics

In the year since the appointment of Mary Zutter, M.D., as assistant vice chancellor for Integrative Diagnostics, much progress has occurred.

“Dr. Zutter has provided the leadership needed to support the translation, application, and integration of emerging diagnostics into existing practice to provide the ‘best in class’ personalized diagnostics to Vanderbilt patients," said Gordon Bernard, M.D., associate vice chancellor for Research.

She has led a Diagnostic Management Team (DMT) of Vanderbilt pathologists and clinicians in an effort to develop a novel approach to pathology testing, diagnosis and reporting. The DMT approach improves diagnostic accuracy in a world of increasingly complex testing. W

ith help from the Bioinformatics team, they have developed novel biomedical informatics tools that improve report generation and integration of test results in an easily accessible way. The DMT approach improves diagnostic accuracy, determines the most appropriate testing and treatment, and reduces unnecessary, costly testing.

As a result of these early successes at Vanderbilt, Zutter will lead the effort to expand and scale the DMT both at Vanderbilt and at other institutions regionally and nationally. In addition, she will lead the effort to bring emerging diagnostic technologies into clinical practice at Vanderbilt in conjunction with the DMT effort.

In light of the effort to launch these new and far-reaching programs, Zutter has been asked to devote a greater proportion of her efforts to expanding these programs. Her increased commitment will allow her to lead VUMC’s collaborative efforts to improve the delivery of personalized diagnostics to VUMC patients and create paradigms by which others can achieve the same goals elsewhere across our region and the country.